1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a connector comprising at least one contact having a resiliently deformable arm exerting a bearing force opposite the direction of insertion of an object to be inserted and being more particularly suitable to the connection of a printed circuit of said object to be inserted, this latter being a substrate having contact studs or fingers disposed flat such as the ceramic substrates of the hybrid circuits and by extension the microcases with peripheral connections, known under the name of chip carriers. Such contacts are generally called "zero insertion force contacts" in opposition to sliding contacts.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Such connectors are known in the Prior Art for example from the European patent application No. 34 081 filed on the Jan. 27, 1981 by the applicant in which the circuit to be connected is held in position by a resilient shaped piece which bears resiliently on a pivoting cap. The pressure force exerted on the cap is sufficient to overcome the resilience of the contacts.
However, the formation of the contacts properly speaking poses a number of problems. On the one hand, these connectors are capable of receiving a very high number of individual contacts whose cost per unit must be as low as possible. On the other hand, the force exerted by the contacts must be as uniform as possible.
Contacts have been proposed which are inserted through the lateral faces of the connector and are held in place by molding and coating with a bonding agent, which makes the manufacture thereof delicate and costly. These contacts have the further drawback of supporting the whole of the weight of the circuit which is connected thereto, this latter being positioned solely by bearing on resilient zones of the contacts. Such a structure has then the drawback that the bearing forces of the individual contacts on the circuit are not homogeneous from one contact to another and from one edge to the other of a circuit. These forces depend both on the precise position of the end of a contact, which is difficult to ensure with high accuracy because of the manufacturing process used, on the thickness of the substrate and on the homogeneity of application of the bearing force transmitted to the circuit to be connected.